Romania is situated in the South-Eastern part of Central Europe and shares borders with Hungary to the North-West, Serbia to the South-West, Bulgaria to the South, the Black Sea to the South-East, Ukraine to the East and North and the Republic of Moldova to the East.

Lying at the crossroads of the major routes between the Western and Eastern world, Romania has always played an important geopolitical role for the stability of the whole continent. With a surface area of 238,391 square km, Romania’s geographical size ranks 12th in Europe and 79th in the world. Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union, with some 20 million people living within the country borders.

The capital of Romania is Bucharest, with a population of more than 2 million.

Authentic, Natural and Cultural are the three words that best describe the country, a place rich in history, arts and scenic beauty.

Romania's landscape is almost evenly distributed between mountains (31%), hills (33%), and plains (36%). These varied landforms spread rather symmetrically from the Carpathian Mountains, reaching over 2,400 m altitude (maximum altitude - the Moldoveanu Peak of 2,544 m), to the Danube Delta and the Black Sea coast.

Temperate climate, four distinct seasons with 210 sunny days per year, people enjoy the beauty of all seasons in Romania.

Spring is very pleasant with cool mornings and nights and sunny days. Temperature can vary during the day between 6 degrees Celsius in the morning and 20 in the afternoon.

Summer is quite warm, with extended sunny days. The hottest areas in summer are the lowlands in Southern and Eastern Romania where 35 degrees Celsius are often reached in July and August. The low level of humidity makes the temperatures rather bearable for the most part. Temperatures are always cooler in the mountains.

Autumn is dry and cool, with fields and trees producing colorful scenery. September, especially, is one of the best months to visit the country due to pleasant weather and lower prices for accommodation.

Winter there are significant differences between various regions of Romania. It can be cold, especially in the mountains. While not the rule, abundant snowfalls may occur throughout the country, from December to first half of March. Snow cover is continuous at higher altitudes from early December through early April.

The name "Romania" which was first used when the three regions of the country were united in 1859, reflects the influence of ancient Rome on the nation's language and culture. The three regions—Walachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania—are relatively culturally uniform. There is a significant Hungarian community in Transylvania (approx. 7% of the Romanian population), which has its own language and traditions. Also, ethnic Roma represent approximately 3.3% of the total population of Romania according to the 2011 census.

•The official language is Romanian (1,700 years old), spoken by approximately 89% of the population. It is a Latin language while belonging to the Balkan sprachbund. Hungarian is spoken by around 7% of the population, mainly in Transylvania. There is also a population of German speakers in Transylvania who make up around 1.5% of the national population. Other languages spoken especially in the East and South East part of the country are: Aromanian, Turkish, Greek and Russian.

• While Orthodox Christianity is the largest religionus, there are large and thriving Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal, Muslim, Jewish and Atheist minorities.

•Sibiu city – named European Capital of Culture in 2007. Contains numerous medieval and early modern buildings. It includes the Brukenthal museum, which was founded three years prior to the Louvre Museum in Paris and is one the first museums in Europe. Sibiu also includes one of the largest museums dedicated to historic rural life in Europe.

•The oldest cave drawings in Central and Eastern Europe were found recently in Romania’s Coliboaia cave. Discovered by chance during a routine expedition in a very remote area in Apuseni National Park, the 13 drawings, which represent animals such as rhinos, buffalos, horses and cats, are approximately 32,000 years.

•Inside the old Turda Salt Mines (Salina Turda) located in Transylvania, stands the world's largest salt mine museum.

•On March 1st Romanians celebrate the beginning of spring in a unique way by offering and wearing "Martisor" (small trinket attached to a red/ white lace - red for love and white for honesty), a tradition that it is said to have originated in Roman times.

•Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci was the first to achieve a perfect routine and get the first score of 10.00 in the history of gymnastics, during the Olympics in Montreal (1976). Other Romanian famous sports performers are: Gheorghe Hagi, Ilie Nastase, Ion Tiriac, Ivan Patzaichin, Lia Manoliu, Iolanda Balas, Simona Halep, Gabriela Szabó.

•The world's first industrial oil refinery opened at Ploieşti (Southern Romania) in 1857. Oil was exploited commercially in Romania since 1857.

•Romanians are known for hospitality and generosity. Guests are always offered food and drinks. Men indicate their respect for women by a tip of the hat, a kiss on the hand, or standing to offer them a seat. It is also customary for younger people to defer to their elders. As well, the customary greeting when friends meet is kissing on both cheeks.

Traditions are preserved in rural areas more than in the big cities. Some of the traditions include: the art of painting eggs around Easter time, pottery, wood carving, textile handicraft, folk masks, glass artistry which is believed to date back to the Roman Empire.

Breakfast is usually salty and comprised of eggs and sandwiches with butter and meat, only sometimes pastry or jam accompanied by coffee or tea. Many kinds of meat are consumed in the country: veal, chicken, turkey, rabbit, fish and pork. The largest meal is eaten in the early afternoon – two main courses and usually the first one is soup. ‘Mititei’, grilled sausage seasoned with garlic, is a common appetizer. Borsch, cabbage soup with bran, or ciorba, a soup of lamb, mushrooms, and other meats and vegetables, is often served as a first course. Main dishes are usually meat-based, such as tocana, a pork stew flavoured with garlic and onions. Other popular dishes include sarmale-cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and meat, and mamaliga (polenta), a cornmeal dish often served with poached eggs. Vegetables are served as side dishes, except for Christian lent when a variety of vegetable - based dishes are usually served in every restaurant or household.

Typical desserts include “plăcinte”, a kind of pie using either salty or sweet ingredients or ‘Papanasi’ – a kind of donut accompanied with jam and sour cream – simply delicious!

We also have a variety of local drinks. For example, a particularly delicious and refreshing juice is prepared from elderberry flowers. It is also common to drink grape juice (or must) during the autumn harvest. Local wines are widely consumed and deemed very good, with a lot of small vineyards starting to gain international notoriety in recent years. Romania is the 9th largest wine producer in the world with very good quality wine. Țuica and pălinca, a strong plum brandy, are also popular, as are beer and soft drinks.

For grocery shopping, big chain supermarkets are available in Romania, however for fresh and tasty veggies, the farmers markets are advisable.

- New Year's Day- Unification Day January 24th - Orthodox Easter- Labour Day on May 1st- Orthodox Pentecost (Rusaliile)- Saint Mary’s Day on August 15th - Saint Andrew on November 30th - National Day on December 1st - Christmas on the 25th and 26th of December

- The George Enescu classical music festival is a multi-week international celebration which takes place in Bucharest during the month of September. It is part of Romania’s cultural brand, with over 20000 foreign visitors each year and major media coverage (BBC, CNN etc.). More information can be found at: http://festivalenescu.ro/en/ - Garana Jazz Festival is a 4 days, annual (starting from 1996, 19 editions) jazz festival, held in July, up in the West mountains (Garana - Poiana Lupului). More information can be found at: http://www.garana-jazz.ro/- The Sighisoara Medieval Festival is a multi-day event, late in July, in the historic fortified town of Sighisoara, featuring costumes, music, dances, foods, crafts, games, and rituals from the Middle Ages- Septemberfest is an annual three-day beer and music celebration held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, sponsored by Ursus Breweries, producer of one of Romania's top-selling brands of beer.- B'ESTFEST is a 3-day multi-genre music festival held the first weekend in July at Tunari, Romania, in a large open field on the outskirts of Bucharest.- The Transilvania International Guitar Festival is a six-day gathering in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, of guitar enthusiasts, both players and fans, held during early August.- Summer Well held in August at Stirbey Castle (near Bucharest).

Sports are popular in Romania, with strong national interest in football (soccer), tennis and gymnastics. Romania has a lot to offer to those of you interested in hiking, skiing and cycling. Cave exploration and canoeing are also popular local activities. Each major city in Romania has sports parks that offer you the possibility to jog, play tennis, ping-pong, basketball, or even to go ice skating indoors. Each City Hall displays on their website the list of parks.

If you decided to study in Bucharest, know that slate.fr magazine rated the city, the 2nd coolest city in Europe in 2012. The coolest city was chosen using several criteria, such as the price of beer, the number of students in the city and the number of neighbourhoods where tourists and residents can have fun.

Read more:Among other cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi, Sibiu, Brasov, Craiova, Constanta etc., Bucharest has a variety of possibilities for you to relax and enjoy your free time: